Tag Archives: Ta Nea

This is a photo Alexis Tsipras releasing a bird. The photo was taken on the day of the Epiphany (6/1/15). The bird symbolises the Holy Spirit.

SYRIZA is often attacked by Ne Democracy MPs of being a bunch of atheists which is why the photo quickly made a certain impression. During the past few months SYRIZA has been trying to play down these (otherwise non-political) accusations by visiting monasteries, religious leaders and even the Pope. Outgoing PM Antonis Samaras has even said some days ago that if SYRIZA wins the religious icons that decorate almost every public building, from ministries to schools, will be removed.

The photo of Tsipras releasing the bird was used as a poster for an online event where Tsipras answered questions via Twitter.

And this is a cartoon by Dimitris Hantzopoulos (TA NEA daily). It combines all of the above with Hitchcock’s legendary movie “The Birds”.

-Mr Hitchcock, one of these birds is the Holy Spirit. What are the rest? -It doesn’t matter, my boy. The important thing is the suspense.

If the future historian will try to describe Golden Dawn’s course to mainstream politics and its attempt to consolidate its presence there, he will most probably be able to write about a very organized plan. He will have the luxury to connect the dots. These dots is what we are living these years, it’s the news coming from the far-right camp, digested easily one by one.

The racist attacks is a good example. A previously rare news item has almost become a daily thing. No one is surprised. The violence in public display (see the slapping of Communist MP Liana Kanelli on tv, the bullying outside Chyterio theatre, etc) is another example which, by now, has easily been digested by many. I remember Kanelli after an unsuccessful prank by some comedians who disguised like Golden Dawn thugs and “ambushed” her in a corridor of SKAI TV. She went back to the studio and, in tears, warned that if Golden Dawn’s violence becomes a joke, this will mean that we have accepted it as a new reality.

Dimitris Hantzopoulos – Ta Nea newspaper (28-02-13)

The next dot in the plan is the consolidation of last year’s gains. Golden Dawn has drawn all the centre-right and far-right voters it could attract. Now they must look into the future, the kids. Step 1: High Schools. Some weeks ago I started researching the story for an international documentary. I spoke with several teachers and they were all complaining about kids flirting with the far-right. Some for joke, others for bullying, in the end they would mention “patriotism”. A friend of mine, a teacher at an Athens High School, gave a lecture to his class about Golden Dawn’s attacks and practices. A kid stood up and told him: “You are not allowed to talk politics in here, sir!”. He was surprised. I asked him if he stopped and he told me: “Of course not! I simply started talking to them about Nazism” . Some weeks later one of his students described to him the good time he had when he went to Golden Dawn’s annual march.

By Kostas Koufogiorgos Eleftherotypia (28-02-13)

Last week, my very good colleague and friend, Yannis Papadopoulos, wrote for TA NEA newspaper a scathing report about Golden Dawn’s intrusion into Greek schools. I’m translating an excerpt from his article.

… Apostolis and his friends were waiting for me outside the school’s entrance. This is where he carried out his first attack. His hands are in his pockets, his face has that teenage touch. He is 15 years old and he beats immigrants. “Whenever we see a Pakistani, we hunt him down” he says. “If Golden Dawn has reasons to do so, so do we”. Right here the hunting begins as soon as the school ends.

“I’ve seen him standing over that pole. I ran and fell over him, together with another guy and we started beating him” says Apostolis. “I have beaten several of them. Ten, fifteen. Something like that. When the teachers at school find out I usually lie, saying that I was provoked… We are not Golden Dawn members, we do this as a hobby. Everyone without papers must be beaten” says George, 14 years old.

17 year old Dimitris, a Golden Dawn member from another Athens school says “Sooner or later these kids will too join Golden Dawn”.

Two days ago, Golden Dawn revealed Step 2. They posted on their official website a text and some photos that took things even further. To younger ages.

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The event was paradoxically called “Kids’ conformation”, after a famous 20th century magazine whose most famous editor in chief was Grigorios Xenopoulos, himself a socialist. According to Golden Dawn, the kids were taught by trained teachers who somehow managed to fit in one class topics like the ancient Greek Thought, the ancient Gods of Olympus and the Christian Faith. Whatever help this nation stay together.

“… and then Alexander the Great made the sign of the Cross and attacked the Turks by saying “I’ll f**ck you, you Albanian fag**ts!!!” by Panos Zacharis (October 2012)

I am living in the present. And these news stories are just dots. If you ask me “Do you know where all this is going at?”, I will say No. But it rings some bells.

I simply hope that the future historian will be living in an a country free enough to write about it.

I’m finally reorganizing my office after moving into a new apartment, 2 months ago. The old cardboard boxes, full of dust, have proved to hide small treasures from my unconscious passion to collect seemingly useless things, for some abstract future reference.

Here’s a cartoon by famous Greek cartoonist Kostas Mitropoulos. He drew it back in 1999 for the October 30 issue of “Prosopa”, a supplement in the newspaper Ta Nea.

The main story of the magazine was the youth, dreaming of a different Greece than the one their parents have created. Thirteen years later, Greece still hopes that the new generation will vote the old system out of power.

“I’m 13 years old and I don’t want to become what you are”

A kid’s face on the cover page of that issue was saying “I’m 13 years old and I don’t want to become what you are”. The kid is now 26 and is most probably either unemployed or he have fled the country in search of a life with dignity.

Like this:

Here’s a quick translation of today’s newspaper front pages in the aftermath of yesterday’s Greek national elections. My general impression is that the newspapers kept a low profile, in contrast with their emotional headlines in the previous days. Despite the historic changes in the Greek political scenery, the feeling is a bit numb, I guess in fear of an uncertain future.

Ethnos 07/05/2012

Headline: A vote of anger overturns the political scene

Kathimerini 07/05/2012

Headline: In search of a government

Eleftheros Tipos 07/05/2012

Headline: People’s anger, Change the Memorandum!

Vradini 07/05/2012

Headline: Austerity defeated in Greece and France

Ta Nea 07/05/2012

Headline: Nightmare of being ungoverned with new elections in the background

Greece might not have ended on e-bay but the silver cup that was awarded to Spiros Louis, the winner of Marathon at the first modern Olympics (Athens 1896) is one the box, at Christie’s.

The silver cup of Spiros Louis, the first Olympic Marathon winner (Athens, 1896)

The grandson of the legendary runner, also called Spiros Louis, decided to sell the precious artifact inherited by his grandfather. According to an interview he gave to Ta Nea newspaper, he originally tried to sell the cup to the Greek state. At the beginning it was the former Mayor of modern day city of Marathon who was interested to buy the cup in order to exhibit it in the municipality’s museum. Then, there was interest by the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (SEGAS) and by Kostas Panagopoulos of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee for the Olympics. Spiros Louis also tried to contact the Minister of Culture but there was no result. Greece managed to host one of the most expensive Olympiads in the history of the modern Games but there was no money to keep this artifact in Greece.

According to Christie’s, the silver cup is estimated to realise between £120,000 and £160,000. Funnily, Spiros Louis said that he originally tried to sell the family’s artifact to the Greek state at a much lower price.

The news about the cup going on the box caused many reactions. Like that one of George Patoulis, Mayor of Athens’ Marousi district where the main Olympic Sports Complex is. The legendary runner, you see, was born in Marousi and the current Olympic Sports Complex is named after him. “We are emotionally attached to Spiros Louis. As soon as we learned about the auction we were mobilized. I personally send letters to friends who are businessmen in London in order to open an account so that we buy the Cup” said Patoulis.

Spiros Louis photographed by Albert Meyer, the official photographer of the Athens 1896 Olympiad

As for who is going to pay for it so that Patoulis celebrates the return of the cup to its home, no one knows. And even if this idea is realized another question will remain. Why did we have to pay a higher price, including the commission of Christie’s, in order to keep this artifact in Greece?

Anti-German emotions are rising after yesterdays extra demands on the Greek political parties’ commitmment to the Memorandum No2 measures and Schauble’s comments. Here’s (just) three example of today’s Greek newspapers.

Dimokratia (16/02/2012)

Headline: Gas chamber

Eleftheros Tipos (16/02/2012)

Headline: Schauble’s junta

Ta Nea (16/02/2012)

Headline: What the Germans want

Der Stürmer (literally, “The Stormer;” or more accurately, “The Attacker”) was a weekly tabloid-format Nazi newspaper published by Julius Streicher from 1923 to the end of World War II in 1945. It was a significant part of the Nazi propaganda machinery and was vehemently anti-Semitic. It often ran obscene and tasteless materials such as anti-Semitic caricatures and propaganda-like accusations of blood libel, pornography, anti-Catholic, anti-capitalist and anti-“reactionary” propaganda too.